A congestion tax!

LONDON, England -- The world's most ambitious traffic-reducing scheme has got off to a relatively smooth start in London. ... By 0800 GMT, 34,000 people had paid the £5 ($8.00) charge, she said.

In a huge urban surveillance scheme, 800 cameras at 400 points in and around an eight-square-mile (21 square kilometre) chunk of the city centre will monitor the licence plates of the motorists who drive into the area every day.

The charge is payable between 0700 and 1830 GMT from Monday to Friday.

If the congestion charge is not paid up by 2200 GMT it is doubled. If not paid by midnight on the day of the journey, there is a penalty charge of up to £80 ($130).

Payments can be made by credit or debit cards, by text message and at petrol stations, retail outlets and post offices.